13/04/2026 - Romain Daudet-Jahan's imaginative film takes young audiences on a fantastical quest reminiscent of the popular camaraderie and adventure movies of the 1980s

Kyma, the debut feature by French director Romain Daudet-Jahan, has premiered internationally in the Méliès d'Argent Competition at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF). In his latest work, the filmmaker remains true to the fantastical and unconventional style seen in his short films Magnetic Fields (2020) and Colony (2021), combining themes of friendship and a coming-of-age journey with the presence of a mysterious, otherworldly creature.

The cast of Kyma is led by up-and-coming Belgian actor Jules Lefebvre. He plays Tony, a rather solitary teenager who is passionate about protecting animals and runs a small cat sanctuary. Left to his own devices over the summer holidays, and disappointed that his mother, Mylène (played by Eve Duranceau), has gone on a research trip to her native Canada without him, Tony learns about the existence of a mysterious “intra-terrestrial” sound wave, Kyma, capable of destroying matter. However, a secret government organisation is pursuing Kyma with the intention of using it as a military weapon, and Tony enlists the help of two of his peers, Ousmane (Mamadou Haïdara) and Zoé (Lucie Loste Berset), in order to save their new friend.

The trio is reminiscent of the characters in The Goonies (1985) or in Enid Blyton's The Famous Five books. Zoé’s character emerges as the film's actual heroine because she transforms her hearing impairment into a strength that gives her friends a distinct advantage in this race against the government agents. Kyma stands out among recent youth flicks because of its strong environmental message, which it conveys without resorting to clichés.

Kyma has no physical form; it is merely sound. However, the way it was misled and trapped by gas-drilling vibrations highlights a very real, human-caused problem currently unfolding in real life in the case of Timmy, the humpback whale stranded in the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea.

Thanks to the meticulous work of sound designer Pascal Villard, Daudet-Jahan succeeds in enabling viewers to empathise with Kyma. Loud vibrations and the noise of shattering glass elicit a sense of entrapment in the viewer, especially at the beginning of the film – we are thus able to feel Kyma’s frustration at existing like a caged animal. Over time, viewers learn to understand Kyma's different moods, guided by Tony’s ability to communicate with it. Giving shape to a being that has no physical form is a feat that the movie pulls off through the creative use of Chladni patterns, not only in sand, but also in tree tops and other elements.

Film-school teachers usually advise against working with children or animals; however, in Kyma's case, it was a risk worth taking.

Kyma was produced by France’s Moana Films, in co-production with Sony Pictures Entertainment France. Its international sales are handled by Sony Pictures International.